Donald Trump reportedly called self-proclaimed “Black Nazi” Mark Robinson “better than MLK” when he endorsed him as the next governor of North Carolina. Trump appeared at Robinson’s rally in March and spoke admiringly of the lieutenant governor while standing next to him on stage.

“This is Martin Luther King on steroids,” the former president said. “I told Mark. I said, ‘I think you’re better than Martin Luther King. I think you’re Martin Luther King times two.’”

The comments are just one example of the former president praising Robinson. Harris’ campaign posted more on social media, including another rally moment in which Trump called Robinson “one of the most popular politicians in the United States.”

A report published Thursday found that Robinson allegedly posted about his pro-slavery beliefs and love of transgender porn on a forum called “Nude Africa.” In posts from the 2000s, Robinson allegedly wrote that “slavery is not bad” and called himself a “pervert.”

“I am not surprised by Mark Robinson’s allegedly inflammatory and insulting comments about my father,” Marin Luther King III wrote on X. “His praise for slavery, derogatory rhetoric, and grotesque characterization of my father and his legacy are deeply disturbing to North Carolinians and all Americans who stand against racism and bigotry.”

He added: “We must make sure that Mark Robinson never goes anywhere near the governor’s office.”

According to CNN, Trump’s campaign declined to confirm Thursday whether Robinson should withdraw from the race for governor of the state.

Robinson, 56, denies posting the messages, calling them “tasteless tabloid lies” that are “uncharacteristic of me.” However, this is not the first time Robinson’s alleged history of extremely racist and homophobic comments has thwarted his political aspirations.

Robinson, a pastor who has been married for more than 30 years, has been criticized for comments he made about Jews, Muslims, women and the LGBTQ+ community. He also said he would make it a priority to ban transgender people from women’s bathrooms if he wins the governor’s seat in November.

“If you’re a man on a Friday night and you feel like a woman on a Saturday night and you want to go to the ladies’ room at the mall, you’re going to be arrested,” Robinson said at a campaign rally in February. “Or whatever we have to do with you. We’ve got to protect our women.”

Five men who frequented and managed local porn shops in the Tar Heel state alleged that Robinson was a regular customer who purchased “hundreds” of illegal porn almost every day of the week in the ’90s and ’00s.

Following the attack on Israel on October 7 last year, Robinson attempted to distance himself from his previous social media posts, in which he called the Holocaust “nonsense.”

“There have been some Facebook posts that were poorly worded on my part,” Robinson said before the state legislature, adding: “There is no anti-Semitism here for you.”

Despite mounting allegations of racism, homophobia and anti-Semitism, Robinson has so far refused to withdraw from the race for governor of North Carolina, a key state in the 2024 presidential election.